Ophthalmic mounting



F. A. STEVENS Erm..

OPHTHALHIC IOUNTING Original Find la! 15 1922 jlb/@zioni Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES FREDERICK A. STEVENS AND JAMES WELSH, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, l

PATENT OFFICE."

ASSIGNORS TO BAUSCH AND LOMB OPTICAL COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW' YORK,

A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING.

Original application led Hay 15, 1922, Serial No. 560,954. Divided and this application led January 29, 1924. Serial No. 689,245.

The present invention relates to ophthalmic mount-ings or eyeglasses, and more particularly to spectacle temples. The present application is a division of a 'copending application, Serial No. 560,954, filed May 15, 1922.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a view of a spectacle temple constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and shown hinged to a lens frame; Fig. is a longitudinal section taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modification.

The temple 4 of the present invention is, for the most part, constituted of plastic, nonmetallic material, like celluloid, zylonite or other composition. Its outer surface tapers from its larger or forward end towards its rear end of smaller diameter and its sides are flattened. It is shown pivotally connected or secured at its forward or front end to a lens-holding or eyeglass frame 2 by a hinge 6. Spectacle or eyeglass temple bars of this type are in common use, but are com aratively heavy and clumsy, and rather lthic at the rear ends to provide the necessary rigidity for holding the temple in place behind the ear. This is particularly true of skull temples, for the rear ends of skull temples are designed to engage, and hold firmly against, the skull, and this they can not do unless the non-metallic material is thick and of substantial proportions.

According to the invention described and claimed in the above-named copending application, however, the thickness of the rear end of the temple may be made small compared to that of the forward end, the required rigidity being attained by the use of a reinforcing or strengthening member 154, shown as a flexible metal wire or core. To this end, the main body portion 4 of the temple bar extends throughout a substantial length of the temple, and is longitudinally bored or recessed for a relatively short distance at 150 from the rear end towards the forward end. The longitudinal bore 150 is approximately of uniform dimension to start with, but the forward end 155 of the reinforcing rod 154 is sharp pointed, as shown. This sharp-pointed rod 154 is forced by pressure into the bore 150, becoming thus wedged or anchored or embedded into place, or interloclied with the walls of the bore or recess 150, and automatically rendering the forward portion 152 of thefinal bore 150 of reduced dimension. To facilitate this forcing or wedging process, the

temple is originally cut away at 153, so `as to provide a comparatively small bore "150, permitting the rod 154 to be gripped very much closer to the end 155 of the rod while itlis wedged into position. The rear portion of therod 154 is thus caused to extend rearwardly from the rear `end of the main body portion 4 in which it is secured. A comparatively long, non-metallic, flexible tube 156 of comparatively small cross-dimension is then 0 be plugged with a nonmetallic plugllO,

effectually concealing the reinforcing rod. The plug 110 may be integrally secured to the tube 156, as by the use of a solvent, or in any other desired manner. The ntemple may be bent or curved into any desired temple shape, such as the ear-hook or skull shape, so as to extend over the ear of the wearer.

The object of the present invention is more firmly to secure the parts together at the joint 153. According to one embodiment of the invention, a metal collar 159 is mount-` ed over the adjacent abutting rear end 160 of the member 4 and forward end 162 of the tube 156. The collar serves not only for strength, but as an ornament also. sired, the said abutting ends 160 and 162 may be countersunk, as shown at 164, so that the collar is made flush with the outside surface of the completed temple, but this is by no means essential. The collar may be interiorly screw threaded at 166, and the abutting ends 16() and 162 may be correspondingly exteriorly screw threaded, so that the ends 160 and 162 may be screwed into the collar, as illustrated in Fig. 3. But the use of a collar is not essential. In the construction shown in Fig. 2, no collar is provided, but the ends and 162 are caused i to interlock by a dove-tail connection, the diameter of' the end 160 being reduced at 170 and the end 162 being interiorly recessed at 172 to correspond. The reduced end 170 fits snugly into the recessed endA 172.

Many other modifications may be made by persons skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the invention, as define-d in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A spectacle templecomprieing a nonmetallic member adapted to be hinged at the forward end and having a rearward projecting metal member, and a nonmetallic member mounted over the rearward projecting metal member, one of the abut-ting ends of the non-metallic members being reduced in diameter.

2. A spectacle temple comprising a nonmetallic member adapted to be hinged at the forward end and having a rearward projecting metal member, and a non-metallic tube mounted over the rearward projecting metal member, one of the abutting ends of the nonmetallic member and the tube being reduced in diameter and the other end being interiorly recessed to provide a dove-tail connection.

3. A spectacle temple comprising a. nonmetallic member adapted to be hinged at the forward end and having a rearward projecting metal member, the rear end of the non-metallic member being reduced in diameter, and a non-metallic member mounted over the reduced end and over the rearward projecting metal member.

4. A spectacle temple comprising a comparatively straight non-metallic member adapted to be hinged at the forward end and having a curved rearward projecting metal member, and a non-metallic member mounted over the rearward projectingmetal member, the metal member extending through substantially the whole length of the secondnamed non-metallic member to act as a reinforce therefor, one of the abutting ende of the non-metallic members being reduced in diameter.

5. A spectacle temple comprising a comparatively straight nonwmct-allic member adapted to be hinged at the forward end and having a curved rear `ard projecting metal member, and a non-metallic tube mounted over the rear viard projecting metal member, the metal member extending through substantially the whole length of the tube to act as a reinforce therefor, one of the abutting ends of the non-1netallic member and the tube being reduced in diameter and the other end being interiorly recessed to provide a dove-tail connection.

6. A spectacle temple comprising a comparatively straight non-metallic member adapted to be hinged at the forward end and having u curved rearward projecting metal member, the rear end of the non metallic member being reduced in diameter, and a non-metallic member mounted over the reduced end and over the rearward project-ing metal member, the metal member eX- tending through substantially the whole length of the second-named non-metallic member to act as a reinforce therefor, one of the abutting ends of the non-metallic members being reduced in diameter.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our naines.

FREDERICK A. STEVENS. JAMES W. WELSH. 

